£50m post office lifeline

RURAL post offices were yesterday given a £50million lifeline to prevent mass closures.

In a victory for the Daily Mail’s campaign, the subsidy was extended to protect 3,200 branches designated as the ‘last shop in the village’.

The cash will be seen as a thank you for the service postmasters have provided during the pandemic, offering a friendly face and basic provisions to vulnerable or elderly customers. The Mail launched its Save Our Post Offices campaign last year to protect local branches.

Rishi Sunak’s spending review also allocated £177million for investment in the wider 11,500-strong network.